T here are Dictionaries about words and many cultures give particular meanings to numbers. If you say Napoli you can say the town of “Lotto” (the eight is in the name because if you say in Italian “l’otto” it means… The Eight). On the Italian Lotto today, on the Ruota di Napoli (Naples “wheel”), the 88 was one of the numbers. So if you say Lotto 88, it will be three “8″ to sum to the date ones. An incredible sequence.
I will not venture in the meanings of it because you should need a very Neapolitan person. Or he/she will need a very old book called “La Smorfia” (literally “grimace”) which can be translated as per dictionary “book for the interpretation of dreams”. You dream something, you go the neapolitan expert or search yourself in the book and he/she will say to which numbers it corresponds analysing by many factors. Then you can attempt luck by betting at “Lotto” game. Not very different than “I Ching”, another very old book, just based on different concepts.
I tried to trace the origins of Lotto and I could find something in Italian where apparently it is dating back to 1576 in Genova. Columbus town again. Then the tradition brought it to be synonymous of Napoli. http://www.ciao.it/Napoletanita_it__Opinione_995974
T he way you decide to play can be also figurative and in this case “88″ would be a “twin” since it has two same numbers. According to this on this year, on this day, there is a link between at least two cultures. Napoli and… the Olympics?.
Y our Passion, your Potential - better call it Talent - but what matters most is the keyword “Opportunities”. Positive ones. The first two would just not be enough if you miss the opportunity to develop them. Search for the lyrics of “Old and Wise” by Alan Parsons, the song in the video above. Music, Sound, maybe a simple Noise can recall moments of Life. Much as a perfume. Let’s not forget Art, a painting can maybe keep being an Enigma for ages:
S ome Humans at some stage haven’t had Opportunities so they had to go somewhere else to express their talent or just need to work for a living. Antonio Scarfoglio dedicated his exploration on 1908 to all Italians in the World. He did not forget to try understand and describe other Cultures in unfiltered manner talking about the “average attitude” on one side while understanding and appreciating single persons regardless of Nationality. Quite a contrast. I wonder what he would have written today about many modern issues, what he would have invented.
T he title of this blog is, as above, “The Race in General” which refers to the intention of gathering data about the car Competition without nationality boundaries. On another meaning it refers to the Rush of Mankind to Knowledge, Evolution, another type of Competition which still sees Continents or Minorities without having had at all real Opportunities all the way until now. Even just plain Water. Ethics.
T he word “worldwide” has become fashion and it is not difficult to book an aircraft ticket to tour the globe because many in their more or less admitted passion have at some point the wish to see the World at least once. If they can. The 1908 New York - Paris was a very slow race compared to the ones we know today yet in its slowness it was an incredible experience under the Human point of view. Especially if you consider they all left without knowing if they would have returned, in the first place. Taking the risk. No Tour Operators.
T hey did not win big money, it was the challenge and curiosity to do something unique which pushed them to try their limits. Today we are in different times, with more experience and, most of all, we know much more. We can see those limits. We can measure heart beats but still we can not measure feelings. Sometimes it is enough to start to talk each other and similarities will become evident even amongst different cultures. Same expectations at Heart.
D ifferent does not mean less or more on one side. Antonio Scarfoglio did not make a all positive book nor he wrote it in two days. It was a long process anyway. He, as a tourist, could see the life of migrants. What can be done to have less migrants and more Tourists? Help them at home so that they would not feel forced to leave in search of Luck?
Q uality Tourism can help and it is just not enough to go trek on the highest mountain without preparation or proper assistance. It seems that when a tragedy happens the most important worry is to quickly stick a logo on the hat of a survivor to attract media attention.
S imilarly Economy and ALSO Tourism is Economy can be used to help or not, without hypocrisy, a Nation to join a wish of International Peace. I gave a hand in Turkey in organizing proper excursions to the pink sand so called “Cleopatra Beach”, very close to Marmaris. By chance I felt cold in the sea and I was explained that since ever they have some water springs… in the bottom of sea. In other places somebody started to manage to use it as a resource. Good Ideas always give a reward. WithTime.
In a few hours it will be Olympic Opening Ceremony. It would be nice to see the Dalai Lama get a Last minute invitation. In some Culture the invitation can have different weight depending if “I come to you” or “you come to me” . Similarly it is different if you “have to come see me on the hill” or a higher position. It means keeping a position and not really meeting half way on the same level. We are all passengers on Earth, we are all Astronauts. Where is half way on a round shape? May Sport and 2008 Olympic help to see one day an African Olympic maybe. A proper re enactment of the 1908 New York - Paris if supported could help or do its bit. Unesco received a fax, Crossed fingers. Enjoy.
